Deadlines at a Glance:
- CALL FOR SPEAKERS OPENS December 12, 2022!
- Draft Submission Deadline: January 20, 2023
- Don't miss this opportunity! Submit your presentation for committee feedback BEFORE your final submission is due!
- Final Submission Deadline: February 3, 2023
- Acceptance/Declination Emails to Selected Speakers: Mid-March 2023
- Speaker Orientation: April 2023 (Official Date TBD)
- Draft Presentation Deadline: May 24, 2023
- Final Presentation Deadline: June 7, 2023
When is Avaya ENGAGE® 2023?
Avaya ENGAGE® 2023 will be June 18-21, 2023 in Orlando, FL at the Swan & Dolphin Resort and Conference Center.
How many speaking slots are available?
We will be selecting around 90-100 speaking slots compared to the amount we have selected in the past. We highly encourage you to select other opportunities upon submitting that you may be interested in sharing your content with if you are not selected (i.e. webcasts, blogs, podcasts, etc.)
Will Avaya ENGAGE® 2023 be a hybrid event?
Yes! Avaya ENGAGE® 2023 will have both an on-site and a virtual component. Breakout sessions will only be in-person.
Will sessions be live streamed or pre-recorded for virtual attendees to experience?
Avaya ENGAGE’s virtual component will be a mixed experience of pre-recorded and live streamed content.
Content will be limited compared to the on-site agenda.
If I am a selected speaker, will my session need to be pre-recorded?
If your session is selected for the virtual component, it will need to be pre-recorded. This will allow for our virtual attendees to have access to the great content delivered at Avaya ENGAGE® 2023.
Please note that your presentation will need to be on the Avaya ENGAGE® 2023 PowerPoint template and your MP4 file of your session will need to be recorded on the platform provided. All this will be in your speaker portal for further details
What are the different types of sessions?
There are two main types of sessions that have open speaking opportunities at Avaya ENGAGE®: Breakout sessions will be 45 minutes and Avaya Product Journey Sessions will be 60 minutes.
We are also always open to the idea of innovative talks, lightning rounds, and panel sessions. Submitters should be very explicit in their submission as to the type of session they are suggesting. Detail is important.
How are sessions selected?
A first-level review by the Conference Planning Committee and our Content Planning Sub-Committee, compiled of Avaya product experts and customers, occurs for all submissions. There will be a draft submission deadline where you can submit your presentation to be reviewed by the Conference Planning Committee for feedback PRIOR to the final submission deadline date, February 3, 2023. This will allow submitter's the opportunity to make edits to their submissions and resubmit for a better chance at being chosen.
The draft submission review process will be the same as the final submission review process. Round 1 reviewers, compiled of Avaya Product Experts, our Member Education Advocacy Committee, and our Content Planning Sub-Committee will review your submissions and will be able to provide you feedback. You will submit your draft submission through your speaker portal into the “Draft Submission” area and the reviewers will review and provide feedback to you, through your speaker portal.
The final review process will be as normal – you will submit your final submission through your speaker portal in the “Final Submission” area. The submissions will go through another round of review (or 2) on all final submissions. You will be notified if your submission has been accepted or declined.
We are tasked with creating a program filled with content that will be compelling, interesting, fresh, and actionable for attendees of Avaya ENGAGE®. We look for innovative formats, complete submissions, and unique perspectives. Submissions should not be repeats of presentations made elsewhere and anything that even smells a little bit like a sales pitch will not make it through the review process.
Partner Submissions: Partners are encouraged to submit content, however non-sponsoring partner submissions may be declined, and sponsoring partners are not guaranteed speaking slots.
How do I increase my odds of getting selected?
Each year we receive more submissions than we can accept. While there are some repeat presenters, we do seek to ensure that the content is always relevant, compelling, and educational.
This year, we are trying to help you increase your odds of being selected by offering a draft submission deadline (January 20, 2023). Take advantage of the opportunity to submit your presentation 2 weeks before the final submissions are due, to receive feedback from the Conference Planning Committee and make edits to your submission before the final submission deadline.
Submission content should be well- thought out, complete, and unique. Tell your story – have you gone through an upgrade recently? What was your experience? Have a case study you want to share? We want to hear about it! Do not shy away from lively discussion—this is a forum for industry collaboration, and debates and out-of-the-box thinking are appreciated. Challenge the audience with unconventional thinking.
If you are a business partner submitting, consider including an Avaya Customer in your presentation if it makes sense.
What are the main reasons sessions don’t get selected?
Believe it or not, the #1 reason is incomplete submissions—the session detail portion of the submission is the most important piece of the entire submission. Sales pitches are also extremely easy to spot, and we are quick to eliminate them from consideration.
We also get a lot of very similar submissions, with a limited number of sessions we can select we try to select the sessions and the presenters that we think best address the topic. And remember: Incomplete session submissions typically do not make the cut – make sure your submission has a well-thought-out title, abstract/description so that our reviewing team can have as much insight and detail as possible into your submission.
Please note that past presenters who have been poorly evaluated by attendees will not be accepted.
What are the tracks
Our goal is to streamline tracks and more strategically use tags to better tailor the attendee experience. Our tracks are intended to drive attendees to content based on high-level interest/needs 
How do I determine what the Technical Level of my content is?
Please use this scale below:
Session Content Levels:
100 (Foundational/Overview) – Basic discussion of the topic for those with a broader business vs. technical focus.
200 (Intermediate) – Business for outcome-focused content, can include some techincal details, demos, etc.
300 (Advanced) – In depth review that may include technical slides and configuration examples.
400 (Expert Technical Content) – Deeply technical discussion, typically for a narrow topic.
What resources does Avaya ENGAGE® offer to speakers?
We take great pride in creating a solid peer-to-peer educational offering. Our conferences provide you with the opportunity to network, connect, and collaborate with your peers in a setting unlike any other. Use this opportunity not only to share your own stories of success and challenges you’ve faced and overcome but also to inspire others who are currently in your same position.
Only PRIMARY speakers will be provided with a full conference pass.
How are session details determined?
Session details are determined by our Conference Planning Committee who spends an entire day strategically choosing and placing sessions where they will be best received by the conference audience. Our committee does its best to make sure tracks are not competing with other tracks (EX: 1-2 Cloud sessions against 5 Contact Center Sessions and 5 Unified Communications Sessions). They also try to make sure there are not multiple of the same topic in each track.
Session details such as the date, time, and room number of your session are subject to change leading up to the event. Please make sure to regularly check your speaker portal to view ALL of your session details.
How do I submit my proposal to become a speaker?
To begin your conference submission click here. If you have not submitted a proposal in the last year you will need to create an account (please follow the directions on the submission website). Please note this is a separate website from iaug.org thus your IAUG member information will not work. If you submitted for Avaya ENGAGE® 2023, you can utilize your same speaker login. Instructions on how to reset your password can be found on the speaker’s portal or please reach out to speakers@iaug.org.
If you haven’t yet submitted your session abstract for review, please keep in mind these helpful tips:
- Focus on 1-2 key product components you would like to highlight
- Describe what product gap exists and how your presentation fills the gap. Ask yourself “how will I verbalize to the audience how to fill the gap”.
- Remember to set the stage.